Permission to Nap - Granted
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
Naps. They’re so taboo in corporate cultures. I’ve never met a person who admits to napping during their workday, but I bet many of us have. I used to work in a corporate office, and there were times when I took a short nap in the afternoon. I felt less bad about this need to recharge my brain and body when I learned that my managing director at the time would often take naps in the office. His naps gave me permission to nap as well from time to time.
I didn’t announce my naps, and they were not that long, but even my short naps did so much to restore my energy. If I hit an energy wall where I could no longer think because I was so tired, I was much more productive if I shut my eyes for 20 minutes so I could actually do some more work until the end of my day rather than just being a zombie and moving my mouse mindlessly around trying to appear like I was working.
Naps have been a celebrated way to recharge batteries and even find inspiration for as long as our species has existed. From Aristotle to Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill to Eleanor Roosevelt, Mark Cuban to Scarlett Johansson, John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton, naps have been a foundational way for humans to manage energy. Many active and successful people swear that sleep breaks during the day are a key to their success, so I stopped feeling weird for indulging in them. Maybe their examples will give you permission to indulge in naps too and be a more rested version of yourself.
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Sincerely Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team